Site Mobile Navigation

Israel Warns Against Easing Sanctions on Iran

JERUSALEM — Israel urged the world powers on Monday not to ease sanctions against Iran as talks on the nuclear dispute were about to resume, arguing that now of all times was the time to keep up the pressure.

“It would be a historic mistake to relax the pressure on Iran now, a moment before the sanctions achieve their goal,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the official English translation of his speech at the opening of the winter session of the Israeli Parliament.

“I will tell you something that goes against the accepted view – easing the pressure will not strengthen moderate trends in Iran,” he said. “On the contrary, it will strengthen the uncompromising views of the real ruler of Iran, the Ayatollah Khamenei, and will be seen as a significant victory by him.”

Mr. Netanyahu was referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, who has the final word on Iran’s nuclear program.

Projecting the same skepticism about the motives of Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, that he displayed in his speech at the United Nations last month and in numerous interviews since then, Mr. Netanyahu added, “Iran is ready to give up very little and to receive a very lot” at the talks, to be held this week in Geneva.

Mr. Netanyahu, who considers Iran to be Israel’s most dangerous enemy, has been particularly outspoken in his rejection of Mr. Rouhani’s assertions that Iran has no nuclear weapons aspirations from its uranium enrichment activities. Mr. Netanyahu has been especially critical of Mr. Rouhani, repeatedly describing him as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

But a senior Israeli minister struck a less cynical and abrasive tone than usual in a briefing with foreign media representatives in Jerusalem on Monday, saying he was not so pessimistic about the chances of success.

An error has occurred. Please try again later.

You are already subscribed to this email.

“We want the Geneva talks to succeed,” said Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s minister of international relations and of intelligence and strategic affairs. “We don’t close the door to a diplomatic solution — on the contrary, on the condition that there will be a sufficient and satisfactory solution,” he said.

Mr. Steinitz pointed to the talks that were held over the last decade with North Korea as a bad model and the Libyan model as one to be emulated. That, he said, is because the agreements with North Korea “were all about freezing the situation” and improving inspections, while the process with Libya was about dismantling its capacity to enrich uranium.

Mr. Steinitz also emphasized what he called the importance of maintaining the sanctions, suggesting that the economic weapon was as effective as a military threat. Western restrictions on Iran’s banks, oil exports and related industries have deeply afflicted the Iranian economy.

“Iran needs this agreement urgently,” Mr. Steinitz said. “If it is made crystal clear to them that if they want to save their economy they need to give up their nuclear program, at the end of the day they might do it.”

“Of course a credible military threat would increase the chances of success,” he continued. “Maybe you can succeed without it. Let’s wait and see.” But he added, “So far the Iranian statements are not extremely encouraging.”